Gas pipe blast sets fire to forest

A gas pipe line has burst in the small settlement on the outskirts of Russia's St. Petersburg. Earlier reports suggested that the blast occurred at the city's heat and power plant, but according to the latest information the scale of the explosion is much

Firefighters managed to put out the blaze soon after it started at around midnight local time.

So far no injuries have been reported.

Around 200 hectares of forest were set on fire as a result of the blast.

Investigators are looking into maintenance on the pipeline, as the possible cause of the explosion.

A regional government official has given reassurances the incident would not affect gas supplies.

“Thirty five units have been deployed to put out the fire. A loss of pressurization took place at the pipe line and the blaze broke out because of the nearby woods. The fire has been successfully put out. No one is in danger now. The causes of the blast are being clarified. Most likely it is just a technical damage that caused the explosion,” said Leonid Belyaev from Emergencies Ministry.